A robot dog named Spot has been introduced at Battersea Power Station to monitor construction.
Architectural design and engineering firm Foster + Partners announced last Wednesday that they were collaborating with robotic company Boston Dynamics to introduce Spot, a robot that climbs stairs and handles rough terrain on four legs, to the construction site.
The Battersea Power Station is currently undergoing construction for phase three of the project which will contain more than 500 homes, a hotel, shops and restaurants.
Head of Phase Three Scott Grant said: “We were excited to see Spot in action and have enjoyed having him on site.
“We were delighted to assist Foster + Partners in using Battersea Roof Gardens as a test bed for Spot.”
Battersea Power Station was chosen because construction sites are dynamic environments where changes need to be tracked and measured on a regular basis, capturing errors in time to meet the project timeframe and budget.
This is part of Boston Dynamics’ Early Adopter Program exploring the potentials of robots in dynamic environments.
Spot the robot dog captures images regularly and compares models to builds in order to catch potential deviation from designs.
Spot can be controlled remotely and can repeatedly follow a pre-mapped route while avoiding obstacles or even climbing stairs.
The team at Battersea Power Station devised a map to set up the missions Spot needed to follow in order to scan certain areas and capture specific data.
Returning to the site on a weekly basis allowed Spot to re-run the missions and produce comparable data and models.
Partner at Foster + Partners Martha Tsigkari said: “The ability of Spot to repeatedly and effortlessly complete routine scans, in an ever-changing environment was invaluable.
“This could result in savings both in terms of time and money.
“We look forward to continuing work with Boston Dynamics to push the boundaries of innovation in the construction industry.”
